Standard fishing rods and fishing rod handle assemblies typically consist of a rod having a top side, a bottom side and a vertical handle or handles connected towards the rear of the rod. A fishing reel, having fishing line wound thereon, is typically mounted on the upper or lower surface of the handle and is positioned towards the rear of the rod. The portion of the handle rearward of the reel is typically held by a fisherman during casting. The portion of the handle mounted forward of the reel, if any, may be held by a fisherman for additional stability and control. The handle or handles of the rod are generally oriented in a substantially straight or vertical line along the path of the rod, such that a fisherman's hands are positioned one in front of the other.
While this configuration may work well for shallow water fishing, for small fish, it creates numerous problems for deep sea fishing, for large fish. Because deep sea fishing typically takes place out in the ocean, on a moving boat and far away from land, safety, balance and control are vitally important when reeling in large fish. During reeling, the deep sea fisherman must typically place one hand forward of the reel and one hand rearward of the reel to pull up on the rod due to the downward force being applied by larger fish. Further, as the deep sea fisherman reels in a fish, the fishing line moves farther away from the center of the reel spool and horizontally on the reel, creating a greater tendency to pull the rod downward and side-to-side as the fishing line moves back and forth across the reel spool. Because the deep sea fisherman's hands are positioned one in front of the other, extra effort must be used to resist such downward and side-to-side forces, which is awkward and tiring. Moreover, pulling upward on the rod while the deep sea fisherman's hands are oriented along the path of the rod and in the way of the fishing line can injure the deep sea fisherman, cause the deep sea fisherman to lose balance and fall, or cause the rod to break or the fishing line to snap.
To that end, it would be advantageous to provide an improved fishing rod handle assembly configured to provide increased safety, strength and control and which may be used in combination with standard fishing rods and standard handle assemblies. The improved fishing rod handle assembly disclosed herein is generally configured to detachably connect to a standard fishing rod. The improved fishing rod handle assembly generally includes a handle positioned transverse to the position of the rod, such that a fisherman can utilize both hands in a side-by-side orientation for increased control and strength when pulling up on the rod and reeling in a fish. Further, the improved fishing rod handle assembly generally includes one or more collars connected to the handle, the one or more collars having splined recesses therein for detachably connecting the improved fishing rod handle assembly to the rod, such that the improved fishing rod handle assembly firmly grips the rod to prevent twisting, but does not damage or break the rod. It is to such an improved fishing rod handle assembly and to methods of using thereof that exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein are directed.